Well…the theatrical run for Wanderlust is now done. It’s been a crazy few years of ups and downs. Some wonderful reviews, amazing feedback, and some not so wonderful reviews, and disappointing box office.  All in all though it’s been a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything, and I’m extremely proud of this movie.

And still to come is the DVD & Blu-Ray June 19th!

This DVD is anything but an afterthought.  In addition to the theatrical feature in stunning HD, we have put together a boatload of fun extras.  The most interesting one is what we are calling the “Bizzaro Cut” of the movie. This is not a “director’s cut” where some scenes are added back or tweaked.  It’s an entirely different version of the movie, filled with alternate jokes, lines, scenes to the point where there is almost no material from the original theatrical cut. I’m curious to hear what people think of this – it’s only on the Blu-Ray, not the regular DVD. And I definitely recommend you watch the “real” movie before diving into the Bizzaro!

Also included is “Penis Envy” – a mockumentary on Joe Lo Truglio’s experience wearing a prosthetic penis for his role in the film.

AND a special only-on-DVD episode of Wainy Days where I go into the fictional world of Wanderlust’s Elysium commune meet the various characters, have sex with them, and almost get killed.

If that’s not enough, we have lots of other deleted, extended and alterenative scenes, gag reel, line-o-rama, behind the scenes documentary, Jordan Peele doing Obama, and of course the feature commentary with me, Ken Marino, Paul Rudd and many celebrity guests via the impressions of the incomparable Kevin Pollak!

If you ask me, this sounds like a must buy for Dads and Grads.  You can pre-order at Amazon right now.

Note that our warm-up band was “This Charming Band” – a Smiths tribute band, that happened to be the same four guys. I remember spending an enormous amount of time making this flyer on my Mac SE/30.

Here’s audio of an earlier version of this band doing The Smiths’ This Charming Man at the Shaker Square Affair when I was about 15.

It starts this Friday night, 4/20 with a screening of Once Upon a Time in the West along with a SIX COURSE Italian meal and EIGHT BEERS.  This is not a typo! It’s like, say what?! You heard me! I generally get drunk after one beer so this will be a good time to get me to spill gossip about Hollywood stars I’ve tongue-kissed.  That’s at 7pm. 

Joe Lo Truglio, Sam Calagione, Ken Marino

Then that very same night at 10:45pm, Marino, Lo Truglio and I (along with Sam Calagione from Dogfish) will be hosting an evening of Wainy Days up on the screen.  You’ll see a selection of our favorite episodes along with some never-seen material and a preview of stuff from the Wanderlust DVD and Ken’s new web series “Burning Love” (I think)! Plus a ton more Dogfish beer!

Please understand that it’s still not over!

The NEXT night, Saturday 21st – we’ll all be hosting the Short Film Competition with more fun and lots more beer. 7:30pm

All of this is at the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE
1120 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Get your tickets now!  

I am hosting an evening of Wainy-themed entertainment in celebration of the recently released Wainy Days Season 1-4 DVD.

The show will feature a reading of an unproduced episode, some video outtakes, surprise guests, and a live version of the Wainy Days musical episode “Rochelle” featuring Amy Miles, Michelle Federer and Fred Armisen! Presented by the ever awesome MyDamnChannel!

MON, APRIL 30th
9:30pm
at UCB East – 153 East 3rd St.

Tickets here 

UPDATE 6PM: The show is sold out, but there will be a standby line. If you’re on the standby line and you don’t get in, I will still be happy to say hi and sign your DVD! 

Here is the full ad:

closer on his new CD cover:

And here’s the text:

For more photos, videos, etc – you can go to IAmDelra.com

It juxtaposes dark subjects–like infanticide, child molestation, murder, murder, and murder–with a fun, breezy, tone. The animation is colorful and kinetic; however, the pictures themselves are stark and almost-scary. Last season, disembowelment and decapitation happened almost every week. The madness and mayhem is orchestrated by a strange, aptly-named warden–The Warden–a psychopath dressed in purple. The Warden has no regard for the safety of others and capriciously kills inmates, perhaps only because it’s something to do. Yet, he is voiced by alternative comedy veteran, and likely-not-a-psychopath, David Wain.

Likely not, indeed.  And here’s another review on MTV.com

All 10 episodes in one handsome DVD can be ordered here. 

Look how not-a-psychopath I am.

Then it came out that many of his facts (about his trip to China meeting the workers) were exaggerated or just plain fabricated.

Yesterday Ira Glass devoted his whole show to retracting the story. He interviews Mike Daisey in part to find out exactly WHY he did what he did. Glass says in the introduction that he hates to have to do this retraction, which I of course understand. But even so, the retraction episode is even more riveting and fascinating than the original story. It also demonstrates the high level of integrity at This American Life. And the fact that when necessary, Ira Glass can be such a ballsy interviewer, not letting his subject off easy even though he (in part) feels terrible for him.

I feel terrible for Daisey too. He is clearly conflicted and freaked out and (correctly) worried that his unmasking weakens the overall case for higher scrutiny of this issue. And that all of this discounts the quality, poetry and larger truth of his theatrical piece.

I highly recommend listening to the episode.

To me the most interesting section was a debate between Daisey and Glass about the issue of theater vs journalism and context.

Mike Daisey: I don’t think that label covers the totality of what it is.

Ira Glass: That label – fiction?

Mike Daisey: Yeah. We have different world views on some of these things. I agree with you truth is really important.

Ira Glass: I know but I feel like I have the normal worldview. The normal worldview is somebody stands on stage and says ‘this happened to me,’ I think it happened to them, unless it’s clearly labeled as ‘here’s a work of fiction.’

I don’t agree that those are the only choices. The tradition of memoirs that are “100 percent true, except for the parts that aren’t” is well established.

Mike Daisey repeatedly stands by his work but says his big regret was to put it on This American Life. I disagree. His mistake was to repeatedly lie, both overtly and by omission, about the fact that he was embracing that tradition of memoir. I suspect if he had put one line, like “parts of this story really happened, parts are dramatic constructions” in the program, Ira Glass might still have been interested to present it, as he has often presented other pieces that are not straight journalism (short stories, humorous memoirs, etc.) Glass then might have supplemented that episode with a segment like the excellent one in the retraction with Charles Duhigg about what the known facts are from a journalistic point of view.

Anyway, I am diehard fan of both Apple and of This American Life. And I am a storyteller by trade. So this whole drama is of great interest to me.

UPDATE 3/18/12: Now he’s made changes to his show, including a new introduction, and is challenging his translator’s version of events.

He says:

It’s not uncommon for PR people to title movies badly in Portugal. Especially comedies. All Judd Apatow films have ridiculous sounding titles, made by people who clearly haven’t seen the movies. I wrote about it on Splitsider a few months ago.

He also sent me the Role Models DVD cover:

So there you go!

click on photo to enlarge